Chapter 54

"Grandmaster Nan's most beloved granddaughter?"

Upon hearing Dazhi's words, Zhu Chi and the Daoist nun with the surname Zhong exchanged glances, both displaying a bitter smile.

Liu Ming, who was listening curiously from the side, had no idea who this "Grandmaster Nan" was.

Seeing the girl unharmed, Yucheng was not discouraged, but he immediately began chanting incantations. He then waved his hands, and two green wind blades shot out. Clenching his fists, he lunged straight at the girl.

Seeing this, the girl did not activate the puppet python. Instead, she let out a cold snort, and the bamboo-yellow round shield and the crimson talisman in her hand vanished, replaced by several yellow talismans. With a flick of her wrist, six fireballs shot out in a row.

Yucheng was taken aback by this and tried to dodge, but it was too late. The thick layer of yellow earth on his body made him much slower than before. The first two fireballs collided with the wind blades and vanished, but the third and fourth fireballs struck him directly, causing two fiery explosions that sent him reeling backward.

When the fifth and sixth fireballs arrived almost simultaneously, Yucheng managed to draw a short blade from his sleeve and split one of them, but the remaining fireball struck him again. This time, he let out a惨叫, and the thick layer of earth on his body shattered in the flames, enveloping him in a raging inferno.

"Cough, we concede this round!"

A long sigh.

Zhu Chi's figure flickered, and he appeared beside the red-haired youth. With a wave of his sleeve, a strong wind extinguished all the flames.

Zhu Chi glanced deeply at the girl before turning and walking away.

Yucheng, thanks to timely rescue, had most of his hair and eyebrows burned off, and his body was black and charred, but apart from some blisters on his skin, he was not seriously burned.

However, as he followed the long-haired man back, he looked dejected.

His failure this time was partly due to the girl's unexpected possession of so many talismans, and partly because of his own mistake in not canceling the Earth Armor spell in time, which made him unbearably slow. Otherwise, he would not have lost so quickly.

After all, during practice on Jiuyi Mountain, he had never used the Earth Armor spell, intending to use it as a trump card in the real competition. He never expected it to become the reason for his defeat.

This made Zhu Chi somewhat displeased with the red-haired youth.

For the second round, the disciples from Jiuzhao Mountain did not immediately send someone to the arena. It was clear that they were waiting for the other side to send a disciple first before selecting one to face them.

"Congtian, you—"

"Wait, Junior Sister! Let Feng'er go this round."

Just as the Daoist nun with the surname Zhong was about to call Liu Ming to the arena, Zhu Chi suddenly interrupted.

"Senior Brother's meaning is—?" The Daoist nun was somewhat surprised.

"If we lose two rounds in a row, it might put too much pressure on Feng'er. Since the other side seems determined to win all three rounds, they will likely use the boy named Jinyu against her. It might be better to take a chance now."

"That makes sense. Feng'er, what do you think?" The Daoist nun thought for a moment, nodded, and then turned to ask Xiao Feng.

"Uncle and Aunt, don't worry. No matter what kind of puppet beast that Jinyu has, I won't fail," Xiao Feng replied confidently.

"Hmm, you have already mastered that secret technique, so you should have a significant advantage in this battle. Go ahead and take the stage," the Daoist nun finally agreed.

With a smile, Xiao Feng walked confidently to the arena.

Zhu Chi and the Daoist nun with the surname Zhong followed his gaze to the opposite side.

Sure enough, the disciples from Jiuzhao Mountain parted, and the sullen youth named Jinyu stepped out.

Their hearts tightened.

According to the information they had, during the Spirit Opening Ceremony at Jiuzhao Mountain, although Jinyu had only six spirit veins, his talent for multitasking was so exceptional that he was highly sought after by many spirit masters. After being accepted by Dashi and Dazhi, he was treated with utmost importance, almost like a successor.

Seeing the concern on their faces, Liu Ming couldn't help but smile bitterly.

It seemed these two had little hope for his victory in the final round and were placing all their hopes on Xiao Feng, which was why they hadn't asked him a single question from the beginning.

While he had deliberately cultivated this image of being unimportant on Jiuyi Mountain, he couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable now.

"You can use any means you have. Otherwise, once I start, you won't have a chance," the sullen youth said indifferently as he entered the circle.

"Hmph, I was about to say the same to you," Xiao Feng retorted angrily, his arm moving, and a pale green long blade appeared in his hand.

"Since that's the case, I won't hold back," the sullen youth's expression remained unchanged. He waved his sleeve, and a fist-sized green sphere flew out, growing and transforming into a three-foot-tall green mantis puppet.

This puppet beast was different from the python puppet. Apart from its two gleaming, sharp front arms, the rest of its body was covered in a faint green glow, giving it a light and agile appearance.

"Green Mantid! You actually gave this puppet to a new disciple? He probably can't even control it properly," Zhu Chi's face changed dramatically upon seeing the mantis puppet.

The Daoist nun with the surname Zhong also looked serious.

"Ha ha, while the Green Mantid is indeed more complex and special to refine, it is still within the range of a second-stage puppet beast. As for control, you don't need to worry, Jinyu's talent for multitasking will amaze you," the white-haired elder chuckled.

"Is that so? We'll wait and see. I'm curious to see how this second-stage puppet beast, known as the hardest to control in your sect, performs," Zhu Chi snorted and continued to watch.

Seeing the puppet beast, Xiao Feng's arm moved, and he slashed the green long blade at the opponent. At the same time, he made a seal with his other hand, casting several spells into his body, turning his skin a deep green.

With a series of "bang" sounds, the Green Mantid puppet's front arms deflected the attacks.

But then, Xiao Feng's arm trembled, and the green long blade hummed loudly. With a fierce expression, he roared and slashed again.

An astonishing scene unfolded.

The green long blade dimmed, and a several-foot-long cold light shot out, creating a shocking spectacle.

At the same time, Xiao Feng threw the talisman weapon and made another seal, his body becoming blurry. With a step, he turned into a shadow, circling the arena at incredible speed, making the onlookers dizzy.

Liu Ming, seeing this, narrowed his eyes.

While the other spirit apprentices might not have noticed, he could vaguely see small particles falling from Xiao Feng's sleeves as he ran.

With a "boom,"

Facing the flying green blade, Jinyu and the puppet beast only slightly moved, easily dodging the attack, leaving a deep groove in the ground. He then looked at the shadow circling away and laughed.

"To compare speed with me, how amusing. Green Mantid, go!"

As he spoke, the puppet beast's front arms clashed, and it shot out as a green shadow, moving even faster than Xiao Feng.

Xiao Feng was startled, but before he could react, the mantis puppet was already close, and its front arms moved, creating a series of cold light slashes.

The Green Mantid puppet slashed over a dozen times in an instant, its movements so fast they were like lightning.

Even though Xiao Feng was usually confident, he felt a chill and hurriedly dodged while making a seal.

From his sleeves, two green light arrows shot out.

With a "clang," the puppet beast's cold light slashes retracted, cutting the green light arrows into pieces.

Xiao Feng took this opportunity to move away from the puppet beast, changed his seal, and laughed at the sullen youth.

"Boy, you're finished now, Jingyu Technique!"

As he spoke, the area he had run through suddenly glowed green, and hundreds of black spikes shot out from the stone slabs, raining down toward the center.

"This is your trick? How amusing."

Jinyu sighed, touching his forehead with a finger.

With a "whoosh," the Green Mantid puppet returned to his side, its wings spreading as it circled around him.

The black spikes were already close.

Jinyu remained still, focusing on controlling his puppet beast.

The green shadow suddenly stopped.

Four identical Green Mantid puppets appeared around the sullen youth, each guarding a side. Their front arms moved, creating walls of cold light that caught the black spikes and instantly cut them into pieces.

Xiao Feng's smug smile froze.